Organized Lightning
by Perfectly-Imperfect1996
Summary: Ciara grew up in the Georgia Federation were everything was perfect, then one day everything changed. She finds herself in the Monroe Republic trying to survive and knowing that the future of the Federation is quite possibly entirely up to her. When she meets someone who might be able to help her, she starts questioning everything she planned.
1. Chapter 1

"Dad, no," I said. "You can't make me go."

"We don't have much of a choice, Ciara," my father said shaking his head.

"Why can't someone from the Plains go? You're telling me that not one of the 14 of the leaders of the Plains Nation has a single daughter?" I asked him skeptically.

"Relations with the Plains are shaky, you know that. Our alliance is new; I don't want to do anything to jeopardize our relations. I wouldn't be sending you to the Republic unless I thought it was absolutely necessary."

"So instead of risking making the Plains mad, you thought it would be a great idea to send your _only_ daughter off to the Republic to marry some guy she's never met in the hopes of establishing peace? Because that plan sounds _so_ much safer."

"Contrary to popular belief we don't want a war with General Monroe's territory but at the rate things are going that's where it's going to end up."

"Then make an alliance with Texas. Nobody messes with Texas."

"I have it on good authority that the boy is an upstanding citizen and he's the son of one of Monroe's most trusted majors, I'm sure you'll like him," he tried to reassure me.

"In the Republic upstanding citizen probably means he murders kittens for fun," I said.

"Ciara Jackson," he paused. "You know the story of General John Jackson don't you?"

I rolled my eyes. "You've told me a million times."

"Then I'll spare you the details, you know he fought for these states. He fought for them to be a confederate country and now they are. I am the president of the Georgia Federation because of him, it's in my blood and it's in yours."

"If he wanted us to be our own state then why on Earth are we trying to work with the Republic." I was about tired of this argument and he could see I was wearing down.

"Because it is what's best for this country. You leave tomorrow morning, pack your things."

OoOoO

When I got up the next morning I left without saying a word to my father. He had arranged for a small group of Federation soldiers to accompany me all the way to Philadelphia and stay with me there.

The trip to Philadelphia would take 10 days at full speed; I was estimating maybe 13 or 14 days if we stopped for supplies in Richmond, maybe more depending on how quickly we traveled. I was wondering how long I could draw it out, maybe they'd just forget about me if it took me too long to arrive.

We left Savannah early that morning and began the trek across South Carolina. I complained just as much as I could about everything, I was sure my soldiers were fed up with me a day and a half later when we reached Charleston. I climbed out of the cart and followed Garrett, the youngest of the three soldiers in to the Charleston town hall. Each state in the Federation had one major city where that state's government was housed. Unlike in the Monroe Republic, boats and ships were huge parts of our economy, it was the way we sent mail or traded goods among the states. Because of this each state's capital was situated beside a river or the ocean for easy shipping access.

"Miss Jackson," I was greeted at the door by an old friend of my fathers.

"Good to see you again, Governor Braxton," I replied.

"I'm sure you're tired, I'll have someone show you to your rooms and we can talk more tomorrow before you depart."

"Thank you," I said. A maid showed me and my guards upstairs to our rooms. I said goodnight and then retreated. I was happy to have a bed again; trying to nap in the cart had been dreadful. Just as I began to get comfortable there was a knock at my door. When I opened it Sarah Braxton, the governor's 10 year old daughter was standing outside. "Sarah!"

"Ciara!" She said happily. I hugged her, it had been almost a year since she and her family had come down to Savannah for business and I hadn't seen her since. She plopped down on my bed. "Are you _so _excited?" She asked.

"About what?" I asked.

"About going to the Republic!" She said shaking her head. "Did you know that Philadelphia was the capital of the United States before Washington DC was? I bet it's really pretty, they have a bell too don't they?"

"Yeah, they do. Maybe I'll see it while I'm there. Are you learning American history now?"

"Yeah, it's so cool! You're going to send me lots of letters from Philadelphia aren't you? You have to describe everything."

"I'll try." I didn't want to lie to her but I really doubted that Monroe would let me send any kind of letter out of the Republic.

"Tell me about the guy you're going to marry," she said bouncing on the bed.

"I don't know much about him, there aren't pictures or anything. Dad told me some stuff but I mostly slept through that. I think he's a lieutenant or something."

"Do you at least know his name?" She prodded.

"Jason."

"I bet he's nice. What's the Republic like?"

"I don't know I've never been," I said shrugging.

"Do they have schools and ships?"

"I don't think so, not real schools at least. They don't teach American history there either."

Her eyes widened. "Why don't they teach history?"

"Monroe doesn't want anyone to get any ideas. He doesn't want to teach them about revolutions or wars or anything that might give them the push they need to rebel."

"What about the ships?"

"They don't trade as far as I know. They burn people's boats if they think they're trying to ship things without paying taxes." They burn _people_, I finished in my head. Sarah looked scared enough as it was though and I tried to smile at her reassuringly. "I'll be fine, I'm tough. You should get some rest; I'll see you in the morning before I leave."

OoOoO

We left Charleston the next day and then traveled for two days straight to Wilmington, where we stopped for the night. From there it was straight on to Richmond, a three day trip. "I feel like each leg to this gets longer and longer," I mumbled in the cart.

"Because it does," Garrett said.

"I wasn't talking to you," I said.

"Talking to yourself then? That sounds healthy."

"I really didn't ask for your opinion."

"But you spoke out loud, that was practically inviting me to make a comment."

"Fine, I'll keep my mouth shut from now on."

He laughed. "I'm kidding. You political types are so sensitive."

"I'm not," I said. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh shut up."

He was quiet for a while and I thought I'd won. "What do think about this? Being sent to the Republic, I mean."

"I think it's a horrible idea. It isn't going to work. The only thing that will get through to Monroe is all out war. He's scared, he wouldn't have agreed to this if he wasn't scared, now's our time to strike."

"So you're for the war?" He asked.

"Obviously."

"You don't know what war is like."

"And you do? You're what a couple of years older than me? It's not like you remember the world before the blackout either."

"I might not remember but I've heard the stories of people who do. Innocent people are sent to kill other innocent people for a country that can easily replace them with more innocent people. Thousands of people die every day while the average citizen sits at home and does nothing. You don't understand because you and everyone you care about will be sitting at home hoping that the war turns out in your favor so you can sit at home a little longer."

"And you don't understand what it's like having mothers and fathers and children come to you in tears because another militia patrol crossed the border and killed an entire town just because they could. Those people are innocent too."

"That's why you didn't fight this more isn't it? You want to protect your people, all of them."

I looked down. "Yeah, but I don't think I can."

OoOoO

A few days later we arrived in Richmond. The most disputed border city, fortunately for them they had a large army of their own and they had mangled to defend themselves from militia attacks. "Ready to cross the border?" Garrett asked me.

"Not particularly, but I don't have a choice do I?" I asked. We stopped and bought more food and refilled our bottles with river water. "I want a gun," I told Garrett.

"The three of us have guns," he told me as he paid a woman for two apples.

"I want one of my own."

"Not going to happen. Want an apple?" He asked. I waved him away and he shrugged biting into it.

"We're about to cross the border, last time I checked these people aren't known for welcoming visitors with fruit baskets and smiles."

"We have an official order from General Monroe that states who you are and what your business is in the Republic. They'll let you pass," he told me, taking another bite out of his apple.

"I still want a gun."

"You should really learn to stop arguing with me, you're never going to win."

OoOoO

Hours later we were in the Monroe Republic and we had yet to see a single person. "Maybe someone blew up the entire country and we can just turn back," I said.

"Do you hear that?" Garrett asked. I listened and heard a few trees rustling. "Get down."

"Stop where you are!" I heard a voice shout. I tried to look up but Garrett put his foot on my shoulder and pushed me back down. "Do you men have a permit for those guns you're carrying?" The voice asked.

"We are soldiers from the Georgia Federation; I have an official notice from General Monroe to secure us passage to Philadelphia." Garrett placed his gun in the cart next to my head and I reached out and touched it. For a second I contemplated grabbing it and shooting the militia soldiers. I knew I'd be able to hit them; I'd been doing target practice for years. But I didn't know how many soldiers were out there and the last thing I wanted to do was get Garrett and the other two Federation soldiers killed. There was silence and the ruffling of paper.

"Miss Jackson?" The voice asked, closer this time. I stood up; since he was on the ground I was considerably taller than him. "Welcome to the Monroe Republic." He didn't smile or offer me a fruit basket but he also didn't shoot me on the spot, which was always a win in my book.

"If you'll excuse us then, we're expected in Philadelphia within a few days and we need to get moving," Garrett told the man.

"Well I can't let you go without offering one of my men to travel with you. The more the merrier right?" The man asked smiling; as soon as he did I wished he didn't. The smile looked forced and creepy, like it had been carved into his face. I glanced at Garrett and tried to shake my head without being too noticeable.

"That would be great," Garrett told the man.

"We'll send Sergeant Mason with you," the man said motioning to one of the men in his group. I was glad I hadn't done anything stupid; there were too many militia soldiers here. I sat down as Garrett and my other soldiers talked to the militia for a few minutes and then before I knew it we were moving again.

"Philly is only a few more days ride from here," Mason said. "We can stop in Baltimore tonight and rest at the base there before moving on." I nodded and sank back against the side of the cart.

OoOoO

The next day as we were nearing Baltimore there was movement in the trees. I got down without even being told. Mason got out of the cart, expecting a militia patrol to immerge from the trees. "Sergeant Mason of the Monroe Militia," he stated. It was only a few seconds before he was shot down with an arrow.

"It's the rebels!" One of my soldiers shouted. The Republic had rebels? Like the kind that were fighting for The United States? My heart leapt; maybe I had a safe place to go. More arrows were fired and just like that two of my soldiers were dead. Garrett fell down next to me.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Don't they know we're from Georgia?"

He shook his head. "All they know is that we were with someone from the militia and we have guns."

"What do we do?"

"When I say run, you take off for the trees as fast as you can and don't stop running until you can't breathe anymore. I'll shoot as many as I can, buy you some time."

"What? No. Come with me."

"If we both run neither of us will get away. Promise me you'll run. If you die, their deaths will be for nothing."

"Do I still go to Philly?" I asked.

He nodded. "You'll be safe there." He reached for my pack and slid it to me; he put General Monroe's order in the front pouch and the grabbed something by his leg. "Take this, you might need it." He pressed a gun into my hand and I looked at him. "Ready?" I shook my head but he was already crouched and ready to go. "Run!" He yelled. I leapt out of the cart and into the woods. A few arrows flew past my head but I couldn't stop. I heard gun shots, one right after another. I wondered how many rebels were there. Suddenly the shots stopped, not enough had been fired to empty his gun. I kept running as fast as I could and tried not to think about what the silence behind me meant.


	2. Chapter 2

I ran until I couldn't run anymore, and then I fell. With the luck I was having that day; of course I fell down a hill and slid face first across the ground. When I reached the bottom I just lay there drained of every ounce of energy. I struggled to get my pack off my back and dug through the pocket with one hand until I found my water which I guzzled down. I lay on the ground for what felt like hours and then I got up. On shaky legs I kept walking. I had no way of knowing where I was but I figured eventually I'd find a road and someone to point me in the right direction.

By nightfall I still hadn't found a road and decided I would make camp. I found a rocky area near a stream and filled up my bottle then washed the dirty cuts on my hands and arms before climbing behind some of the rocks to stay hidden. I was so exhausted I fell asleep in seconds.

When I woke up the next morning the sun was shining brightly and I'd realized I must have slept till at least noon, but I felt so much better. I took time to eat a piece of the flat bread that Garrett had bought in Richmond. I knew that I had lost a lot of day light but it was worth it to not feel quite so dead inside. I kept walking until I heard movement in the trees, two days ago I would have thought it was an animal but now I know better. I listened carefully; it didn't sound like a whole army maybe one or two people.

"You should probably come out!" I called. I held my gun out. "I have a gun!" There was more rustling. Then a guy appeared, he was probably around Garrett's age. I squeezed the gun tighter, it dug into the cuts on my hand and broke tore the scabs.

"Are you hurt?" He asked. I didn't say anything. "I'm Nate."

"Are you a rebel?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Just a regular guy who happens to have a first aid kit, if you need it." I stared at him, he reached for his gun and I tensed again. "Just sitting it down here." I watched him put it down and then I did the same. Nate walked towards me slowly and motioned for me to sit down, I did and he sat next to me. He opened his pack and pulled out a box full of wrappings and a few bottles. "Give me your hands." He took each hand gently and poured one of the liquids over it, it stung but I didn't make a noise. Then Nate wrapped each hand and my right arm, which had gotten cut up the worst, in gauze. He reached up and dabbed a bit of the stinging liquid onto a cut I hadn't even realized was on my chin. "What happened to you?" He asked.

"I fell," I said.

"Are you traveling alone?"

I didn't yet trust him but I nodded. "I was traveling with others but they were killed by rebels."

"That's why you were so worried I was a rebel. Were they your friends?"

"Not really, I hadn't known them for that long." I thought about Garrett, we should've become friends.

"Where are you going?"

I hesitated. "Up north. Maine," I said coming up with the first state that came to mind. "I have family up there."

"I'm going to Chicago. I have to walk up North for a while if you want to walk with me," he suggested.

"You're not afraid I'm going to kill you in your sleep or something?" I asked surprised.

"I don't know, are you?" His eyes sparkled when he smiled.

"Probably not," I said smiling back.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Emily," I said without having to think about it, it was my mother's name.

"Nice to meet you, Emily." I liked the way he said Emily and part of me wished I'd told him my real name, just to hear him say it. "We're you getting ready to camp here, or were going to keep moving?"

"I got a bit of a late start today; I was planning on walking a little more, if that's ok with you." He nodded and we both retrieved our weapons. "What happened to your wrist?" I asked when I noticed he had a make shift brace on.

"Just a sprain, I'm clumsy too."

"Hey, who said I was clumsy?" I asked.

"We'll you fell and managed to scrape up almost every bit of exposed skin."

"That doesn't make me clumsy, I just wasn't paying attention. I was tired."

"Clumsy," he said.

"Where are we anyways?" I asked.

"Winchester, Virginia. I can walk with you up to Lancaster, that's about a day's walk from Philadelphia."

"Isn't that out of your way?" I asked.

"A little, but I don't want to make you travel alone."

"Thank you," I said looking down.

OoOoO

The next morning I woke up to a delicious smell. "What is that?" I asked.

"I caught a rabbit. Here, have some," Nate said. I walked over and sat by him and the fire. He pulled a piece of freshly cooked meat off the bone and fed it to me.

"Oh my gosh! Did you season it with something? That is seriously amazing!" I also hadn't had real food in days and at this point I probably would have eaten anything.

"A chef never reveals his secrets. Want some more?" I nodded and he pulled another piece off. I laughed as he tried to feed it to me causing him to smoosh it into my cheek. He rubbed his thumb across my cheek to get the oiliness off, it seemed like he lingered a little longer than was necessary.

"Do you want some bread?" I asked. "It's pretty much all I was able to grab before I ran." I pulled out a piece of the flat bread and ripped it in half. Now it was my turn for my fingers to linger a bit too long on his as I passed the bread to him.

Later that day we managed to finally find our way back onto the road, it seemed like a good thing to me but Nate was on edge. Then I started hearing something in the trees, we both looked towards it but neither of us moved. "Stay here," he told me. He walked into the woods and I drew my gun just in case I needed it. Suddenly I felt hands around my arms and I was being held up against someone. I had only been carrying my pack on one shoulder and it fell to the ground next to me.

"Scream and I'll slit your throat," the man holding me said. Another guy picked up my bag and started going through my things. He snatched my gun away from me. "Nice gun."

The guy holding it looked at me. "What's a nice little girl like you doing with a gun like this?" He asked. I could hear voices in the trees shouting.

"We weren't sure if your little boyfriend was going to fall for the distraction in the woods. Unfortunately for you, he did."

The guy with my pack unzipped the front pocket and pulled out the letter from General Monroe. "Look at this, boss. She's from Georgia and Monroe wants her alive. Wonder how much we could trade her to him for? I bet he'd pay a lot." I saw someone at the tree line and realized it was Nate. He raised his finger to his lips telling me to be quiet.

"Normally we'd just rob you, maybe kill you. But you might just be too pretty to pass up," the man holding me said. I glanced up to where Nate had been but he was gone, my stomach dropped. Had he left me? We had only just met but I thought we were at least becoming friends; friends don't leave friends with looters to be killed, or worse. Then shot rang out and the man behind me dropped to the ground, taking me with him. My head bashed against the asphalt. Before I even had the chance to get up or hurt the other guy, another shot was fired and he dropped dead too. I turned around to see Nate running towards me.

He crouched down next to me and grabbed my arms. "Are you ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. They didn't hurt me. Are you ok?" I asked. I reached up and touched a gash across his forehead and then the bruises that were already forming on his cheeks.

"I ran into some of the other looters but I'm ok. You should see the other guy." He tried to smile but winced as it stretched his cuts. "We should go, I don't know if there are any more of them." I turned to grab my things. I noticed his eyes go to the piece of paper from Monroe and snatched it up in a sweep with my jacket and water bottle before he could read it. I looked up at him and he offered me a hand to get up, I took it. When he pulled me up we were so close together we were almost entirely pressed against each other.

"Thank you, for saving me," I said. I started to lean in to kiss his cheek but then I stopped when I remembered how beat up he was. Before I could do anything else though he kissed me once very quickly on the lips and then stepped away like nothing had happened. He didn't say anything and I wondered if I'd hit my head harder when I fell than I thought, made I'd just imagined it. Then he hooked his fingers through mine as he pulled me down the road and I smiled at him, but then again maybe I hadn't.

OoOoO

"Only a day or two from here," Nate said when we passed an old sign that said Welcome to Waynesboro. "We might be able to make it to York today."

I didn't say anything but I was hoping that we wouldn't make it that far. I wasn't ready to split up yet. I wanted to say never mind, let's go to Chicago. Who cares about General Monroe? Who cares about politics and alliances? Not me, I didn't want to be here anyways. I didn't want to go to Philadelphia; I didn't want to get married. "What if-" I thought of my dad who tried to do what was best for the Federation, and Sarah who had this uncorrupted hope for the future, and Garrett and those other soldiers who had died to protect me. I couldn't be selfish. I shook my head "Never mind."

"Are you ok?" Nate asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"What are you thinking about?"

"To whom much is given, much is expected," I said. Nate looked off into the distance. I wondered, not for the first time, what his story was. After a while I decided to break the silence. "Do you have any family?"

"My parents live in Philly," he told me. I wondered if his dad was in the militia, it would explain why Nate had a gun.

"Why are you going to Chicago?"

"I'm looking for someone, but I don't know if I'll be able to find them."

"Sorry I got you so off track," I said.

"Sometimes getting off track is alright," he said smiling at me. "Plus if it wasn't for me, you'd probably still be wondering around in the Virginia forest lost." I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed. "You know, I normally prefer traveling alone but you're ok."

"Just ok? That makes me feel so good about myself," I said with mock hurt. He smiled and our hands brushed against each other.

OoOoO

We reached York the next day and from there it was less than a day's walk to Lancaster. It was almost time for us to split up. "I bet your family in Maine is excited to see you," Nate said.

"Yeah, probably," I said.

"Maybe I'll visit Maine sometime; I've never been there before."

I nodded. I wished that I could really move to Maine, maybe I'd see Nate again. But once again I had to remind myself that I wasn't here for me, I was here for Georgia. I was here to make peace and if I ran away I could jeopardize everything. For the rest of the day I didn't know what to talk about. I was afraid if I talked too much I'd give in to how much I wanted to go to Chicago, and then do something stupid like actually go. Late that night we arrived in Lancaster. I traded what was left of my bread to get a room in an inn, I was tired of sleeping on the ground and I wasn't going to need the food when I got to Philly.

I debated washing my clothes in the bathroom, I'd been walking through the woods and they were getting disgusting. They were supposed to look nice until I arrived in Philadelphia but that when I was still traveling by cart. It seemed like eons ago that I'd been riding in that cart making fun of Garrett, but in reality it had only been a few days. I decided against washing my clothes, it wasn't like I had anything else to put on anyways and they wouldn't dry by the time I left the next morning.

But my clothes _were_ gross, I pealed my shirt off and my jeans leaving me in a tank top which hadn't gotten all that dirty. I remembered Sarah telling me, the morning I left, that I ought to take a dress to meet the General in. She made me take one of her mother's nicest dresses that she'd had since before the blackout and a pair of flats. I felt bad that I left the clothes in the cart and wouldn't be able to return them. I wondered if I'd ever even see Sarah and her parents again.

I stepped out of the bathroom and looked around. The room was dark; the only light came from the moon outside and a candle that set on one of the bedside tables. The innkeeper had reminded us to blow it out before we went to sleep because candles were precious resources nowadays. The room only had one bed. The innkeeper hadn't offered any other rooms when I'd paid; she probably assumed we were a couple. Not that I could afford any bigger rooms anyways, I'd already used up the last of my food supply and I really hoped it didn't take me that long to walk to Philadelphia.

I thought about what could happen tonight. Tonight and tomorrow were probably the last I'd ever see of Nate, he was off to Chicago and I was off to "Maine". This was typically how relationships worked these days, they happened in hyper speed. The length of a good relationship averaged around a month at the most, anything longer than that was practically unheard of unless you lived in an established town. Even in the Federation, where life expectancy was longer and there were more towns and fewer nomads. I slid into the bed. Though it had only been a week or so since I'd left home, I'd forgotten how comfortable a real bed was. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was exhausted, days of walking and sleeping on the ground had caught up with me. So much for doing anything with my last night with Nate.

Nate blew out the candle and got into bed. He put his arm around me and lay his head next to mine. I was too tired to even say goodnight but I was awake enough to feel him kiss the side of my head.

OoOoO

The next morning I woke up and got dressed. I wasn't looking forward to walking to Philly alone and I was hoping I would bump into some militia to take me there. Nate handed me something in a shiny wrapper out of his bag. "What is this?" I asked.

"Granola bar," he said as he packed the rest of his stuff up.

"How did you get this? Is it even any good still, don't these things expire?" I asked staring at it. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen packaged food.

He shrugged. "I still eat them, they haven't killed me yet." He pulled several more out of his bag. "Here take these too."

"You don't have much food left," I said.

"I can hunt, you can't. You traded what little food you had, you aren't going to make it to Maine without something to eat."

I looked down, I felt terrible about lying to him when he was trying to look out for me. "Thank you," I said finally when I realized he wasn't going to give up.

"I should get going; I need to make it out to Chicago as soon as I can."

"I hope you find who you're looking for," I said.

He hugged me. "Be careful, it's dangerous out there." He stepped away from me and walked out the door. I watched until the door closed behind him and then I started packing my things and the granola bars. I pulled the paper from the front pouch and folded it into a square which I tucked into my jeans pocket.

It was time to go to Philadelphia.


	3. Chapter 3

**Just wanted to let you all know that I started a Tumblr where I post/reblog inspiration for all my stories so if you want to check that out head over to "**_**stories-inspire**_**" and click on the link to Organized Lightning! **

OoOoO

I walked all day without stopping. I passed a few people but no one said anything to me, everyone was minding their own business. Finally I found what I was looking for. I walked up to one of the militia soldiers and pulled the folded square out of my pocket. "I need you to take me to Monroe."

The soldier laughed. "Why would we do that?" I pressed the paper into his hand and he unfolded it. His condescending smirk dropped as he read it. "Come with us, Miss Jackson." He helped me into one of the carts and I sat down.

I must have dozed off because when I looked up we were coming to a stop in the middle of a town. I looked around but all I saw were militia soldiers, not one civilian. "Welcome to Philadelphia," another soldier said helping me down.

The farther into the base we walked the more nervous I got. What if coming here wasn't such a good idea after all? I had no idea what Monroe really had planned, he could be planning to kill me or use me a leverage to get my dad and the Plains Nation to back off the war threats. I glanced behind and noticed I was flanked by several armed guards; it was a little too late to get away now. I was led into a building and up to the second floor. I waited until someone came out of the room and waved the other guards away "General Monroe will see you now." I entered the room and glanced around quickly. My eyes landed on the man standing behind the desk, he was younger than I expected and he was smiling. His smile wasn't creepy like the soldier's in Virginia, Monroe's smile looked genuine.

"You're alive," he said. "We thought you'd been killed by the rebels."

I saw then what I'd guessed at before, Monroe was scared. If I had died there would be nothing stopping Georgia from going to war with the Republic. "I'm a bit surprised I'm still alive too." I said with a shrug.

He laughed softly. "You'll have to tell me the whole story. Sit down," he motioned to one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Would you like a drink?" He asked going over and pouring himself a glass of some brown alcohol.

"I don't drink," I refused politely.

He turned around and looked at me as he walked back to his chair. "You look so much like your mother."

"You knew my mother?" I asked caught off guard.

"Yes, your father and I were friends before the blackout," he said. This was the first I was hearing of it. "We were in the Marines together."

"Oh." It made a little more sense then, my dad hardly ever talked about his time in the Marines.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your mother. I want you to know that the man who killed her was punished severely. Our soldiers are not supposed to cross the border, though sometimes we can't keep tabs on them."

"What are you talking about? My mother was killed on a hunting trip, by looters."

His eyes widened a bit betraying his surprise, and then he dropped back into his casual look. "I'm sorry I must have been mistaken. Julia should be waiting for you downstairs to take you home."

"Julia?" I asked, still a little dazed from what I'd just learned.

"Julia Neville, Jason's mother, you'll be living with her until Jason get's back from Chicago." Monroe was looking at me with something I couldn't quite read. Was that pity?

"Thank you, Monroe."

"Please, call me Bass."

I walked out of the room and downstairs. Things made so much more sense. My father had always told me the reason we were going to war with the Republic was because they stole from our border towns and treated their citizens like animals. But I realized now that that wasn't the real reason. We could defend our borders better without too much difficulty, and the way Republic citizens were treated was not really any of our business. My father wanted revenge on the people who killed his wife.

OoOoO

I took my time leaving the building, pausing on the stairs to collect my thoughts. I wasn't sure what to do with this new information; I couldn't exactly confront my dad and I didn't know if it really made any difference anyways. When I finally came to the bottom of the stairs there was a woman wearing a nice dress and heels, any normal day I would've called her shoes impractical but they reminded me of attending political dinners and meetings with representatives back in Georgia. "Julia?" I asked hesitantly.

She turned around with a smile. She looked at me for a moment. "You're gorgeous," she sounded relieved.

I laughed. "I've been running through the woods for a week, I need a bath."

"I'll have a bath drawn up for you," she said nodding. "Then we can work out your wardrobe." She smiled. Never in my life had I been so happy at the thought of new clothes, I was beginning to think these were imbedded in my skin. "Unfortunately my husband and my son are both out of town of business but that give us plenty of girl time."

I smiled. "Of course," I said.

"After dinner maybe we can take a walk around the compound so you can get a feel for things. I'm sure Bass will want to give you an official tour later, but that will be all business stuff, I'll show you the fun places."

"Sounds like a plan." I liked Julia already; maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all, I mean I was already getting along with one of my future in-laws. When we got to her house she showed me up to my room which had an excellent view across the lawn. "Is that the Liberty Bell?" I asked.

She looked surprised. "I forgot they teach American history in the Federation. Yes, that is."

"A girl I know from Charleston wanted to see it," I told her.

"You'll have to write a letter and tell her all about it, I'll make sure some stationary is sent up." Was she saying I'd really be able to send a letter out of this place? Maybe the stories my dad had told me about this Republic were wrong, maybe his judgment was clouded by what happened to my mother. "I wouldn't go flaunting your knowledge about history, Bass won't like it. I have some books you might like to read while you're here though, some things I saved from before the blackout." She looked a little unsure about offering them to me, I wondered if Bass knew she had them.

"That would be great," I said smiling.

"Your bath should be ready. I'll go look at see if I have anything you can wear, I think we're about the same size." She left and I turned to the bathroom where a maid was coming out with an empty bucket. I was used to being waited on, and after running through the woods I was even more grateful for my privileged lifestyle.

I peeled off my clothing which was sort of stuck in a solid shape and tossed it on the ground; I'd be fine with tossing them in the fire. I slid into the bath, the water was still warm despite the arduous task it was to lug all the water up here one bucket at a time. I sighed and relaxed.

OoOoO

After my bath I went into my room to find a small stack of clothes on the foot of my bed. I dried off and then looked through the pile. I settled on a pair of jeans and a green top that complimented my hair. There was a knock on my door and when I opened it Julia was there. "Bass had something come up and had to cancel dinner," she said. I wondered if something had really come up or if he was giving me time to think over what he'd told me earlier. "I had them send up some food; I wasn't sure what you would want so I had a little bit of everything." She looked nervous; I could tell she was trying her hardest to make sure I was happy.

"I'm not that picky," I told her. She looked relieved and we walked downstairs. She wasn't kidding about having everything sent up. I was hungry but not hungry enough to even make a dent in the huge spread.

"I went a bit overboard didn't I?" She asked.

"Maybe a little," I said laughing.

"I want to impress you. You're a president's daughter, I'm sure you have lavish meals all the time." I wanted to tell her that actually my dad and I preferred simple dinners with great southern cooking, but I didn't want to make her feel bad. We settled down with our plates. I took a bite out of some chicken, it was good. The spice was familiar but I couldn't place it; then I remembered Nate's rabbit, the seasoning must come from a common plant around here. "I know you'll probably be asked by Bass tomorrow, but if you don't mind telling the story to me, what happened out there?"

"I was with my soldiers and a militia soldier when we were stopped by rebels. All but one of them was killed instantly, his name was Garret, and he was able to distract the rebels long enough for me to get away." I looked up to see if Julia wanted me to keep going, she looked sad but nodded encouragingly. "I ran through the woods as fast as I could until I fell," I glanced to my hands which were healing up nicely thanks to Nate. "I kept going until I bumped into a guy; he walked with me almost all the way here. If it weren't for him I might have died in the woods, or gotten killed by looters, which also almost happened." I said quietly.

"I'm so sorry, that must have been terrible. I'm sure you couldn't have been thrilled to come here in the first place, then to have to go through all of that."

"I'm ok," I said. She stood up and motioned for someone to clear the table. I hadn't eaten much but after retelling my story I wasn't all that hungry anyways. We went up stairs and I sat on my bed.

"When I was a teenager I used to have girl's nights with my friends. We'd watch chick flicks and make popcorn and braid each other's hair. That was such a long time ago; so much has changed since then."

"We don't need electricity to braid hair," I reminded her. She smiled and sat down next to me.

"Turn around," she instructed me. She began combing my hair with her fingers and then braided my hair into two braids. It was very relaxing and I soon found myself dozing off. "Goodnight, Ciara."

OoOoO

The next afternoon Julia gave me a tour. She showed me that they had an old tennis court though no one could really play that well and the tennis balls were old, and a lake where people went swimming in the summer, and then we reached a bar where soldiers were playing pool and drinking. We walked in and sat down. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to see Monroe. "You two look lovely today," he said. "Glad to see Julia got you all fixed up, you looked a bit rough yesterday." He laughed. "Join me will you?" He asked me.

Julia got the hint and got up. "I'll see you at dinner, Ciara."

"Can I get you a drink?" He asked.

"I still don't drink," I reminded him.

"Everyone drinks eventually." I wondered what happened to make him start drinking so much, but I was afraid to ask. "We have other things besides alcohol though, like lemonade." He laughed. "I saw you perk up at that idea. We get lemons imported from the California Commonwealth, they're delicious." He turned to the bar tender. "I'll have a scotch and soda, and a glass of lemonade for the lady." The bar tender made our drinks and handed them over.

I took a sip of my lemonade. "That is good," I said smiling. "We get lemons from Florida, my mom used to make the best lemonade. Her sweet tea was really good too; Savannah sweet tea is always the best."

"Did you have some time to think about what I told you yesterday, about your mother?" He asked. "I'm sorry; I assumed you knew what had happened."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" I asked.

"I wouldn't lie to you about something like that; in fact I won't lie to you ever." I raised an eyebrow, I doubted that was true. "I promise." I still wasn't sure I believed him but I shrugged.

"Is that why my dad hates you so much?" I asked.

"He blames me for your mother's death. While it was at the hands of my men, I was not behind the attack. I have enough trouble dealing with foreign affairs without my men messing things up."

I laughed. "Foreign affairs, you make it sound like you're dealing with China or something. We're all Americans."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's a word I don't hear very often anymore."

"We learn American history in Georgia," I said. He nodded thinking.

"I just realized I'm late to a meeting, luckily they have to wait on me." He waved as he walked off and I was left sitting there confused. I couldn't tell if he had been upset about what I'd said about history or not. I got up and walked back to Julia's house. She didn't ask what Monroe and I had talked about and instead grabbed a dish from the counter.

"What's that?" I asked. She pealed back the cover on the dish and smiled.

"Apple pie."

"Are you serious?"I asked. She laughed and grabbed some plates, she cut two slices and handed one to me. I took a bite. "That's sort of amazing."

"I know, I thought you'd like it. We'll finish it before they boys come home, unfortunate for them." We both laughed as we ate. I wasn't sure what the rest of my life was going to be like but right now it was looking pretty good.

OoOoO

I had been in Philidelphia for almost three weeks. Monroe had told me and Julia that Tom and Jason's group was expected to be home as soon as tomorrow. I wanted to fit one last day of running around unattended in before they got home so I left early that morning. I walked towards the building next to Monroe's office first. There was hardly anyone out this early normally and it was even emptier now that tons of soldiers had been sent out as reinforcements for the current missions. It wasn't hard for me to get to the building without being spotted and I managed to slip in the front door while the guard was drinking his coffee, Monroe really needed to invest in some better guards.

Something about this building was suspicious, it was as nice as the others but no one ever went inside and two of the windows on the second floor had the curtains open. I'd been asking around and a few people said it was where Monroe was keeping a very important prisoner. I wasn't exactly trying to spy for Georgia or anything, but if I could find out something that I could hold over Monroe I wouldn't exactly be disappointed. I slipped up the stairs to the second floor, crossing my fingers that there wasn't another guard at the top. Luckily for me there wasn't, I was afraid that maybe I'd made a mistake and there wasn't anything worth finding in here but when I pushed the door open I noticed a woman sitting on the couch staring out the window, she was far enough away I hadn't seen her from below.

"Hello?" I said. She turned around.

"Oh, you weren't who I was expecting. I thought you were going to be Monroe," the woman said.

"You're expecting Monroe?" I asked, instantly worried that he'd catch me up here.

"You aren't supposed to be here are you?" She asked smiling. "Don't worry Monroe doesn't normally come until later. What's your name?"

"Ciara," I said. "Who are you?" I asked.

"Rachel Matheson."

"Are you related to Miles?" I asked.

"He's my brother in law."

"He was friends with my father, before the blackout he used to come visit us."

"Who's your father, I might know him."

"Robert Jackson, the president of the Georgia Federation," I said.

"So you're the girl Bass keeps talking about, he really thinks you're going to help him work things out with Georgia."

I shrugged. "Maybe I will. Why are you so important that you get a whole house to yourself? People I've talked to said you were a prisoner."

"I am," she said nodding. She didn't provide any explanation. She glanced out the window. "You should probably go, my guard is about to bring up my breakfast. Go out the back."

I turned around and walked out of her room. I hid in the room next door until the guard went into Rachel's room, then I ran downstairs and out the back door.


	4. Chapter 4

I wasn't sure what to do so I went home. On my counter was a bottle of lemonade with a note under it. "Though you might like this –Bass" I sat it back down and then left the house again. I walked to Monroe's office, the guards let me through. I pushed the door to his office open and walked in. "Enjoy your gift?" he asked without turning around.

"Who's the woman you're keeping prisoner next door?" I asked. He turned around and looked at me.

"How'd you get in there?" He asked. He didn't seem angry, just curious.

"Your guard wasn't very vigilant," I said with a shrug. "Want to tell me what she's doing there? She's obviously important."

"Very important."

I rolled my eyes, I'd gathered as much from talking to Rachel. "_Why _is she so important?" He laughed and showed me a piece of paper with a drawing.

"Have you seen one of these before?" He asked.

"On a necklace right?" I asked. He looked surprised and I realized whatever this thing was it was really important. "Yeah, I've seen it before. Don't remember where though." I remembered exactly where I saw it; Sarah had one that belonged to her mother. "What does it do?"

"These pendants are the key to turning the lights back on," he said. I looked up at him.

"You're kidding."

"I did promise I'd never lie to you, didn't I?"

"So why do you need me then? If you have power you don't plan on making peace, do you?"

"You are plan A, I don't want to go to war but I will if I have to. Think of the power as insurance. Wouldn't you rather be here than Georgia anyway? We'll have electricity; you'll be living with the ultimate luxury."

"So what, Rachel is just going to help you turn the lights back on?"

"More or less," he said with a shrug.

"Why do I feel like you have some, what did you call it? _Insurance_?"

"Because I do. You're good at asking questions, very to the point. I like that about you Ciara. It's a shame I'm wasting you on a lieutenant. You know it's not too late for us to change our deal, you don't have to marry Jason."

Nate flashed across my mind. "What are you saying?"

"You could marry me instead," he said. I backed away.

"You aren't serious are you? You're like twice my age."

"If you married me you'd be in a position to control what happens in the Republic. You could take up some of those social issues you're so passionate about. We could try to start a school system, maybe even include history classes? We'd have electricity; we could do anything we wanted to."

"As tempting as that sounds, I can't do that. Peace treaty plans or not, you basically kidnapped me and I don't have Stockholm Syndrome yet so…"

"Suit yourself," he said. He smiled like he'd been telling some funny joke the whole time, who knows maybe he had been. "See you tomorrow, Ciara."

I left Monroe's office and went home totally confused. Julia was sitting in the living room when I walked in. "Oh there you are Ciara, you got up pretty early this morning didn't you?"

"Yeah, I wanted to take a walk," I said.

"Are you alright? You look a little pale."

"Yeah, I'm ok. I think I'm going to lay down for a little bit."

"Feel better," she called as I walked up stairs.

OoOoO

The next morning I slept in much longer than I expected to. When I woke up the sun was high in the sky and I'd realized I'd slept past noon. I was supposed to go with Julia to meet Tom and Jason soon. I jumped out of bed and noticed a note lying on my vanity table. "You were sound asleep so I went to meet them without you, get ready and meet us downstairs. –Julia"

I sighed in relief; I wasn't looking forward to seeing Monroe today anyways. I went to my closet to pick out something to wear. Julia had filled my wardrobe with dresses, skirts, nice tops, jeans and more pairs of shoes than I could count. It was even bigger than my wardrobe at home; In Georgia I had typically only dressed up if I had to go to something official, my dad never cared what I wore on a day to day basis. My hair was a mess and I brushed it and then put it in a loose braid. I picked out a dress that didn't look too uncomfortable and put it on.

I walked downstairs, no one was home yet. I went into the kitchen and had an apple. I stared at the bottle of lemonade on my counter. I opened the window that looked out over the lawn and poured the bottle out. I could get my own lemonade, thank you very much. I stood around for a while waiting, then went upstairs and took out my braid. My hair looked wavier now and I ran my fingers through it quickly. The longer it took for them to get there the more nervous I got. What if Julia's son had gotten none of her caring nature and sense of humor? I twisted a piece of hair around my fingers.

Then I heard the front door open downstairs. The noise scared me and I jumped about a foot before realizing what it was. I stared in the mirror for another second. "Ciara?" I heard Julia call.

"Coming!" I called back. I walked to the stairs slowly. Down in the foyer I could hear them talking.

"Mom, I told you-" a guy said, the voice sounded a little familiar.

"All I heard was some nonsense about wanting to be reassigned to Maine, which isn't going to happen by the way," Julia said. I walked to the steps and started going down, I was concentrating so hard on not falling down the stairs that I didn't even look over at them.

"Emily?" I heard. I looked up and gasped.

"Nate?" I didn't even make it down the last two steps; I just sort of fell towards him and hugged him. I let out a massive sigh of relief, I had been so nervous but it was just Nate. Nate was Jason. "Your name is Jason?" I asked leaning back.

"And you're Ciara, and you aren't in Maine." He smiled.

"I guess we both have some explaining to do." I glanced over at Julia and Tom who were looking at us totally confused.

"I think, maybe we should all go sit down," Julia suggested. We followed her into the living room and we all sat down.

Tom held out a hand and to shake. "Tom Neville," he introduced himself, though I had already figured out who he was.

"So you two know each other?" Julia asked.

"After my soldiers and I were attacked by rebels, he found me in the woods. He walked with me all the way to Lancaster," I told them.

"All of that and you didn't even mention who you were," Jason said.

"Yeah, well you didn't exactly tell me everything either," I reminded him.

"You told me you were moving to Maine. I basically told you the truth."

"You just conveniently left out the part where you were in the militia."

"I told you I lived in Philadelphia," he said. He was right; he mostly told me the truth. He told me where he lived, where he was going and a very basic version of what he was going to do there. I told him I was just some girl going to find her family in Maine.

"You can see why I didn't tell you though, right?" I asked. "I mean, I'm the president of Georgia's daughter. That could be pretty important."

"That's why those looters didn't just kill you, they knew," he said.

I nodded. "They found a letter from Monroe that ordered the militia to let my group pass."

"This is insane."

"I'm not going to argue with that."

"So you wanted to go to Maine because you thought "Emily" was going to be there, but the girl you met was actually Ciara and now here the two of you are," Julia said catching up. We both bobbed our heads and then looked at each other and started laughing. Tom and Julia, who still looked a little bewildered, smiled at us. "It seems to me that things have worked out just the way they were supposed to."

OoOoO

We spent the afternoon with Tom and Julia talking about everything, Julia pulled out old photo albums and showed me pictures of Jason. "Wasn't he just the cutest?" Julia said grinning. Jason looked embarrassed. I poked him in the side and smiled at him.

"Dinner is supposed to be arriving soon," Tom informed us.

"I wish we had some of your baby albums, Ciara!" Julia said.

"Oh, yeah, don't know if we still have those around," I said. I had buried them in the attic years ago so that my mom couldn't pull them out to show all of my father's new friends. No one needed to see my fat kindergartener phase.

"The food is here," Tom said before Julia could find some more photos or launch into another embarrassing story about Jason as a kid. We ate dinner together and Tom mostly talked over Julia about their last assignment. I noticed that Tom never looked at Jason the entire time and Jason never said a thing. After dinner Tom and Julia disappeared, leaving me and Jason alone.

"So what happened out there that has your dad so ticked off?" I asked. I stood up; if I sat at the table any longer I was probably going to want another piece of pie.

"I disobeyed a direct order. Monroe isn't going to be too happy when he finds out."

"What did you do?" We walked into the living room and sat down.

"Saved a girl's life," he told me.

"Someone they want dead, I assume?"

"They want her captured at least. I don't like the way things happen around here."

"Me either. That's why I'm here." I smiled.

"Why are you smiling so much?"

"Because this worked out so much better than I thought it was going to!"

"You were just going to show up here and marry some guy you'd never met?" He asked.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again and I have a job, so yeah." I paused. "You were really going to go after me?"

"Yeah, I wanted to."

"Have you talked to Monroe yet?" I asked.

"He let us come home tonight. We're supposed to report to him tomorrow about what happened."

"What do you think he'll do?"

"Send me to California, if I'm lucky."

I thought about the conversation I'd had with Monroe yesterday. "He probably would." I shook my head. "That isn't going to happen. You're going to stay here, or I'll just have to go to California with you."

The idea was just crazy enough that it made him smile. We both knew I couldn't actually leave the Republic and still negotiate peace with Georgia, but for one night we let ourselves believe it.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day Julia and I were left at home while Tom and Jason went to meet with Monroe. I had been sitting in my room reading the book _Rights of Man_ by Thomas Paine. I had been staring at the same page for hours. It wasn't that it didn't have interesting points, it was all about revolutions and governments I could see why Monroe had banned it, it was just that I was too nervous about Jason to focus.

"Ciara?" Julia called coming down the hall. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah, just reading. Any word yet?"

"Not yet."

"I'm sure they'll be back soon. The boys were gone a while, weren't they? They probably just have a lot of things to talk about," I assured her. It was then that the front door opened and we heard Tom and Jason come in. We both breathed out a sigh of relief when we heard them talking quietly. Jason came upstairs and Julia left my room. "How'd it go?" I asked.

"General Monroe isn't going to have me killed or shipped off to California, so that's a good thing I guess."

"You guess? I'd say that's an excellent thing!"

"The girl I was looking for is in danger. Monroe is taking me off her case and he's reassigned the most ruthless of all the militia soldiers in my place."

"Why do you care about what happens to her? You were supposed to bring her in, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I was but I couldn't do it. I let her go and now she and her friends are going to die anyways."

"Do you save damsels in distress every day, or should I be worried?" I asked jokingly.

"I saved her because he reminded me of you, or should I say she reminded me of Emily."

"If she's in trouble you should help her. It's the right thing to do."

"Monroe won't be happy about it," he said.

"Oh, screw Monroe. If he wants some innocent girl and her friends dead he should talk to me about it. I could trigger the war with one coded letter to Georgia, obviously he doesn't want that."

"I shouldn't be gone long," Jason told me.

"Be careful."

He put his hand on my cheek and looked into my eyes for a moment before kissing me. It was the first time we'd kissed since I'd been Emily and he'd been Nate. "You be careful too, it's just as dangerous here as anywhere else."

OoOoO

It had been over two weeks and I was starting to get worried about Jason. I doubted he would have had much trouble finding the whereabouts of the girl and it shouldn't have taken him long traveling by himself to reach her. The only thing I could imagine going wrong was if Monroe's soldier had caught him, in which case Bass probably knew something about it.

When I got to Monroe's office he was sitting at the desk flipping through some papers and drinking a glass of some alcohol or another. "Where's Jason?"

"Hm?" He mumbled looking up. "Oh, Ciara, I was wondering when you might stop in for another visit. I haven't seen much of you since Jason returned."

"Where is he?" I asked.

"How would I know? He isn't out on a job for me. He's on temporary leave," Bass said.

"He's missing."

"I don't know why you assume I had something to do with it. Maybe he just got cold feet about the wedding.

"I am here as an emissary of Georgia and it's really up to me how things work out between our nations. Either you tell me where Jason is or I leave."

He laughed. "I would like to see you try. I'll tell you what, I tell you where Jason is and you give me information about Georgia."

"I am a bargaining piece, not a spy."

"I'm curious about how Georgia works. We have laws and militias to keep our citizens in line."

"So do we, but we don't use them to terrorize people. Our citizens love Georgia. They choose to live in Georgia because we treat them well. That is the glue of a strong society. Trust between the people and the government. Something you do not have here." I took a breath. "I could help you, rebuild I mean. The Republic doesn't have to be horrible. It would be an awkward transition, sure. But once the people realized that there were changes happening for their benefit you could have an actual republic."

"As opposed to?"

"You are aware the definition of a republic is a state in which the power resides with the people's elected representatives. Last time I checked you didn't hold any elections."

"And you have in Georiga?"

"We don't claim to be a republic, do we?" I asked. "We have state representatives and they all work with President Jackson. That's a story for another time. I answered your question, now answer mine. Where is Jason?"

OoOoO

As soon as I left Monroe's office I went to find Tom. "Monroe told me where I could find Jason. I think you should probably go with me, I have the feeling I'm going to need help carrying him out."

We went to one of the prison buildings and down to the bottom floor. One of the rooms at the far end of the hall had a glass wall and inside we could see Jason sitting tied to a chair, his back facing us. I threw open the door and went to his side. He was a mess, bloody and bruised and generally terrible looking. "Jason?" I touched his cheek and he moaned in pain.

"We need to get him back home," Tom said. I helped him pick Jason up and as delicately as we could we carried him back across the compound to the house. I pushed the door open and almost tripped over Julia. She gasped when she saw the state Jason was in. She helped us move him into one of the guest rooms down the hall so we didn't have to carry him upstairs.

"Is he going to be alright?" She asked worried.

"I think he'll be fine," Tom said.

"What the fuck was Bass thinking?" I snapped.

"Whatever Jason was off doing must have really pissed Monroe off," Tom said.

"Oh god," I said.

"What?" Julia asked.

"He was off helping that girl. I told him to go save her, because it was the right thing to do. He said Monroe wouldn't like it," I explained.

"Which girl, Charlie Matheson?" Tom asked.

"I don't know, he didn't tell me her name. It was the girl he was looking for in Chicago." I paused. "Matheson? As in Miles Matheson?"

"How do you know Miles?"

"He was in the military with my dad, he used to visit. How many people from that family does Bass need? Why does he even care so much?"

"Didn't you know Miles was Bass right hand man up until he abandoned Monroe a couple of years ago?"

"Suddenly things make a little bit more sense."

OoOoO

I hardly ever left Jason's side while he was recovering. He was mostly unconscious but I was determined to be there as soon as he opened his eyes. Julia brought my meals to his room and I slept on the loveseat couch, despite it being much too small to stretch out comfortably. A few days after Tom and I rescued Jason, Monroe stopped by. I could hear him talking to Tom in the living room.

"Your son not only disobeyed one of your direct orders but he also tried to sabotage a very important mission. No one else would have had the chance to make a second mistake, but because he is your son I gave him a second chance. Now I give him a choice, either he reports immediately to the California Commonwealth or he faces execution for treason," Monroe told Tom.

"Crossing the Plains Nation is as good as a death sentence," Tom said.

"At least he will have the chance to fight for his life."

"What about Ciara?"

"She will remain here. I can't imagine President Jackson would be pleased if I sent his daughter to California. I'm sure we can find another young man who would be a more suitable match for her." After that they moved farther away and I couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. I could assume though that Tom would chose reassignment to California over a death sentence. Either way I was not willing to part with Jason so soon after I'd found him.

I began rounding up the maids. As I had learned in Georgia the maids knew the most details about everyone's lives. I used to have my own pack of maids that spanned three or four states of the Federation. I had them gather in the guest room where Jason was still barely conscious, I thought it would trigger their caring natures and make them more eager to help. "Molly, Casey, Anna Beth, the three of you are here because I know you work in the households of the most important militia families. I need your help; I need dirt that could convince Monroe to expel a different family from the area."

"A maid keeps her families dirty laundry clean," Casey said.

"Of course, but a woman also knows what's best for herself and for others," I told her.

"What would be in it for us," Anna Beth asked.

"Protection, if Monroe finds out about your spying. There's nothing he can do against me. And after this is all settled I will make sure you each have a little extra to fill your pockets." They dispersed; all I could do now was wait.

It was hardly two hours before Molly returned. "I have something Ms. Jackson."

"Oh, don't call me that. That makes me sound incredibly old. What did you find?"

"One of the other officers was talking with his wife about their son. He's been missing for some time, you see, and most people presumed he was dead. I heard her tell him that she wanted to see her son no matter the consequences."

"Consequences?" I asked curiously.

"Their son is a rebel, she said it herself. The family will be under tremendous investigation, it always happens after a national security breach. Most likely Monroe will have no choice but to exile the entire family, you never know who could be a rebel spy," Molly told me.

"Obviously whoever tells Monroe about this will greatly appreciated, I'm sure. I suppose he might even be likely to grant a favor to that person."

"It's very likely yes. You should tell him before anyone else finds out." She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to me. "Here's the man's name."

"Thank you very much, Molly. You've been a tremendous help," I told her as I pocket the paper.

OoOoO

I had to wait around outside Monroe's office for a good hour before he finished his meeting. I pushed through the door before all the men even had a chance to leave. One of the men was still talking to Bass and I walked in between them. "Excuse me, sir. General Monroe and I have some very important business to discus. Life and death matters, you understand." I shooed him out and closed the door behind him.

"What's so important you couldn't wait until I finished my meeting to tell me?" Bass asked. He offered me a seat but I shook my head.

"I have information about a possible rebel spy in your midst."

"A rebel spy? Why would you know anything about that?" He asked curiously.

"Rebel spies killed the three soldiers charged with bring me from Georgia. I know how dangerous and unpredictable they can be," I told him. "Like I said, one of your very own has a rebel for a son. My sources tell me that father and son have been meeting secretly to discus important Militia information," I lied. I handed him the paper Molly had given me. "This is the man you should be looking into."

"I suppose you want something in exchange for this information," Monroe said taking the note.

"Only for Jason to remain in the Republic, all of his mistakes forgiven, nothing much."

"As long as you promise to keep in line yourself, a simple request I think."

"Nothing much at all."

OoOoO

The next afternoon I was sitting my Jason's bedside with Julia. "Monroe needs to be dealt with," Julia said. I glanced up from my book. "You can see it, can't you? He's crazy. You need to be careful, he's been cordial so far but if you don't do as he says he could turn to violence."

"I'm too important for that," I told her.

"I'm not the only one who thinks Monroe isn't fit for his position any longer. There are more who would rise up against him, given the chance. Tom could take his place. Once you and Jason are married, Georgia and the Republic could coexist or even work towards putting the country back together."

"You cannot repeat that to anyone," I told her.

"Ciara, you know it's true."

"Julia, what you're saying is treason, true or not."

After a moment she nodded curtly. "Of course, you're right."

Julia was right, Monroe was crazy. The Republic would be better off with someone else in charge, maybe not Tom but someone. As much as I wanted to agree with her I couldn't. Monroe held all the cards. If he got power then Georgia would be in danger and I would be the only thing stopping him from destroying my home.


	6. Chapter 6

One afternoon, I followed some soldiers out to the building where Rachel's lab was. It didn't take long to find her all I had to do was follow the music. When I pushed open the door I could hear Rachel singing. "Oh, Ciara," she said when she looked up.

"Music," I said quietly.

She laughed. "I finally got it working."

"I can see that. Wow, I haven't heard music in a long time."

"How old are you?" She asked.

"Twenty-five," I answered.

"So you would've been ten then. You probably remember music better than my kids would."

"I could probably sing you just about any song that was on the radio back then, I'm sure I still know all the lyrics."

"You can never seem to forget song lyrics, can you?"

I hopped up on the counter next to where she was working and took a look at the amplifier. "So what do you think Monroe is going to do with it?" I asked.

"New tech for the militia, no doubt. Whatever he's got on hand is going to be threatening to Georgia and the Plains."

"Have you been to the Plains Nation?" I asked.

"Not since the blackout. I used to go out to Colorado some times before though, it was beautiful."

"I'd like to go. It feels strange to know the facts on paper but not be able to see it for myself. Dad says they have a strong central government and the whole nation is run by self-governing regions, thirteen to be exact. A lot of them are nomadic, tent cities, hunter-gathers the whole nine yards. I can't imagine living like that. I like the southern comfort of my Savannah home on Forsyth Park." I sighed. "I miss Georgia."

"I don't blame you." Rachel adjusted the pendant on the amplifier, which made me remember something.

"Do you know the Braxtons? Kelly and Jameson Braxton?"

She looked surprised. "Kelly was on the team that-" She paused. "Yes, I knew Kelly."

"Her daughter has a pendant just like that one. I figured she was probably part of whatever group you were in."

She nodded. "Maybe I'll tell you about it one day." There were footsteps in the hall and I jumped off the counter. "Hide in that closet. I know you're Bass's pet but I doubt he'd like you hanging around me." I disliked being called Monroe's pet but I did as she said. He came in and discussed with Rachel how quickly the amplifier would be ready. When he finally left Rachel opened the closet and I stepped out.

"He sure is getting impatient," I said.

"Something is going to happen soon," She said. "You should probably get back home."

OoOoO

I was in my room reading when I heard a massive crash from downstairs. "Julia?" I called.

"Ciara, stay up there!" She yelled. I walked down the stairs slowly ignoring her. When I could see into the living room I stopped and tried to listen in.

"Look, Miles, I don't know what I can do," Tom said.

"You're going to find them, and I'll stay here with Julia," Miles said. "Hurry up, I don't have all day." Tom left without noticing me. I walked down the rest of the stairs just as Miles turned around. "Ciara Jackson?"

"Hey, Miles. Nice weather we're having."

"What in hell are you doing in the Monroe Republic?"

"Arranged marriage, preventing a war, blah blah, nothing much," I said. He laughed and gave me a hug.

"You were a little rebellious teenager last time I saw you, I can see growing up did nothing to change that."

"Now can we talk about the fact that you have a gun pointed at my future mother-in-law?" I asked.

"Technically, I'm not pointing a gun at her." He waved it around.

I rolled my eyes. "Why are you here, Miles? I know all about your former position as Monroe's second in command and how you ditched him."

"Monroe has some of my friends."

"Rachel?" I questioned.

"Rachel?" He asked.

"Your sister-in-law? She's not so willingly helping Monroe get power back." I paused when I realized he seemed extremely confused. "Didn't you know? I guess not."

"I didn't even know she was still alive."

"Oh, well that could be shocking I guess." I said. "A good shock, I hope."

"Yeah, wow. Charlie will be happy. Do you know anything about Danny?"

"I don't know a Danny. But the girl, I've heard of her, my fiancé saved her life from what I've heard. Almost got him killed too." I shrugged. "Anyways, you want Rachel back? I'm your girl."

"You know where she is?"

"Of course and I'll help you get there."

It wasn't much longer before Tom got back with a couple of Miles's friends. "Where's Charlie?" Miles asked.

"I don't know she wasn't with these two. This is the best I can do, Miles; I'm not helping you anymore. You'll have to find the girl on your own," Tom told him.

"There's a chance Charlie is with Rachel," I told Miles. "We should go now."

"Ciara, where are you going?" Julia asked.

"I can't let any more innocent people die to fuel Monroe's power," I told her. "I'll be back."

"Be careful," she said.

"We need to go," the woman Tom had brought in said. I nodded and the four of us left.

"Ciara, this is Nora and Aaron," Miles introduced us. "Now where are we going?"

"There's an old factory building a few miles from here. I usually hitch a ride on one of the militia wagons, but clearly that won't work with you three fugitives. We'll have to walk," I told them.

"Monroe just lets you go wherever you want?" Nora asked.

I shrugged. "He hasn't stopped me, I'm sure he knows about my little adventures."

"Bass is going soft," Miles said.

OoOoO

When we reached the building where Rachel was we ducked behind some old equipment to hide from the militia soldiers. "The place is covered," Nora said. "How are we supposed to get in?"

"The four of us can't take out that many guards," Aaron said. They continued to argue and I stood up.

"Ciara, what are you doing?" Miles hissed. I strolled over to the main doors.

I glanced over my shoulder and mouthed, "Figure it out, I'll be waiting." I walked up at the door and stopped before crossing my arms impatiently. "Well, are you going to open it?" I snapped.

"Oh, Miss Jackson, I didn't recognize you from afar. Did you walk here?"

"There wasn't a ride to catch and I needed to see Bass. He's here isn't he? He told me he'd start including me in important business and then he left me again."

"He's upstairs."

"Well, do get those doors open." I waved my hand at the door and he nodded quickly. One of the other men opened the door. I spared another glance at Miles's hiding spot and just as I had hoped they'd gotten out of there while I was distracting the guards. I turned back to the guards. "Thanks." I went up the stairs to the third floor where there was an old foreman's office, that's where I found Monroe.

"Ciara, I was wondering when you'd show up," Bass said.

"You were expecting me?" I asked.

"I know all about your trips out here to visit Rachel."

"You've been keeping things from me. I can't exactly be useful unless I know what's going on around here."

"I think you've figured it out for yourself, haven't you?"

"Well, I know you're building an amplifier. I know that the Republic is going to be incredibly dangerous with power. What I don't know is what tricks you have up your sleeve. Didn't we talk about how we were going to work together?"

"We did."

"Well?"

"I'll give you a tour."

We had barely gotten out of the room when one of the soldiers appeared. "Excuse me, sir; Miles Matheson has been spotted in the building."

"Find him and bring him to me," Bass told the soldier. "You should go back the office," he told me.

I laughed skeptically. "That's not going to happen."

He shook his head. "Then stay close to me. You don't have a gun."

I followed him down the hall. I was mentally crossing my fingers that Miles had been able to find Rachel and Charlie and that they were already on their way out. But of course that would be too easy. We turned a corner and found Rachel and Miles alone. The first thing Bass did was push me behind him protectively. "Run," he told me.

"Monroe-"

"Please," he said pushing me back the way we had come. I finally nodded and took off around the corner but stopped as soon as I was out of sight. I knew Miles wouldn't hurt me, but Bass didn't and he had wanted to protect me. I leaned against the wall feeling a bit light headed. Maybe I had been too quick to judge Monroe. I tried to listen to the conversation taking place in the hall. Rachel must have escaped as well because the only voices I heard belonged to Miles and Bass.

"Why are you here?" Monroe asked.

"Rachel is my family," Miles said.

"I'm your family, I always have been. Not Rachel or those kids you barely know," Bass said. "Come back to the militia. Your family can go free."

Miles didn't say anything for a moment. I wasn't even sure what Miles was doing anymore, sacrificing himself to save his family maybe. Then I heard someone drop their gun in surrender and I knew what Miles's plan was. He was going to kill Monroe. "You're too far gone, Bass. You aren't the same person you used to be," Miles told him.

I heard an impact as someone threw a punch. I cringed and started to step away but I couldn't make myself leave. Surprising myself, I rushed around the corner making both men stop and look at me. I wasn't going to let Miles kill Bass, for a reason I couldn't even explain to myself. I rationalized it as Bass had tried to protect me so this was making us even. With my distraction Miles managed to jump out the window. I sighed in relief, no one was dead. "He was going to kill you," I said. Bass nodded but didn't really look at me. He was genuinely upset that his former friend had betrayed him once again.

"It doesn't matter," he said.

"What doesn't?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter that he got away." He motioned me towards the balcony. We stepped outside and looked down.

"Is that a helicopter?" I asked. There was a loud noise that drowned out his reply and I watched the huge helicopter rise up. "Oh my god."


	7. Chapter 7

Having power changed everything, just as I knew it would. Monroe wasn't content to sit on it and only use it for protection. He wanted to fight. Reports of rebel camps being wiped off the map came in every day. I didn't say anything, the rebels had killed Garrett, and they didn't deserve my help anymore than Monroe did. In fact I stayed away from Bass too; instead I sat at home with Julia. Tom and Jason were busy with the air strikes and had been gone for the past week.

I walked downstairs one day to find Julia standing at the window just looking outside. "You should have let him die," she said quietly.

"I tried, but I couldn't do it," I told her.

"You're a good person," Julia told me. "A better person than me."

"People are dying because I couldn't let one man be killed. I don't think that makes me a good person."

"People die every day. If it wasn't Monroe killing them it would be someone else."

OoOoO

I was called to Monroe's office when Tom returned. When I arrived I was ushered inside where Tom and Monroe were standing. "What's going on?" I asked.

"It's Jason, while we were doing recon after an air strike a group of rebels attacked. He was shot and killed right in front of me," Tom told me.

"He's dead?" I asked quietly. Tom nodded. I turned and went towards the exit.

"Ciara-" Tom called.

"I need to be alone." I left the building and walked as far as I could until I was too tired to move and just sat down in an alley. I couldn't even cry I just felt numb.

The rebels were supposed to be on the right side of things but yet they had killed two people who didn't deserve it. I was tired of the politics of war. Neither side cared who lived nor died as long as they came out of top in the end, the ends justifies the means I guess. I leaned back against the building.

Garrett had been right people were expendable in war.

OoOoO

It was late before I returned home and Tom and Julia had already gone to bed. When I fell asleep I dreamt that I was back in Georgia. I was sitting at a table next to Sarah Braxton and her parents at a huge dinner with all the representatives. Sarah and I were pinching each other to stay awake through the long boring speeches.

"Miss Jackson," a voice said behind me.

"Yes?" I turned to see Garrett.

"Come with me please, there's something you need to see." I followed him outside and suddenly we were standing in Forsyth Park. Jason was sitting in front of one of the Spanish moss covered trees.

"Jason?" I glanced at Garrett. "What is he doing here?"

"Look," he pointed. I turned back around and saw that Jason was bleeding from several bullet wounds. I turned back to Garrett and screamed. He was a rotting corpse. "You could have stopped this."

"Stop, stop!" I yelled. I backed away and tripped over Jason's body.

I woke up tangled in my sheets, crying. I got out of bed and went down to the living room. There was no way I was getting any more sleep that night. I sat on the couch and flipped through books by candlelight without really reading them until my eyes were tired and then I just sat on the couch and tried not to think too much.

That was how Julia found me the next morning, sitting with my knees drawn up to my chest staring out the window. She sat next to me and put an arm around me. I ended up dozing off but I kept waking up afraid I was going to have another nightmare. Tom put a hand on my shoulder, startling me; I must have fallen asleep again for a moment. "Monroe wants you to come back to his office, if you're up to it."

I nodded. "I should change clothes." I reached up and touched my hair, which was tangled and messy.

"I'll comb your hair," Julia said. She stood up and offered me a hand. "Come on." I let her lead me to my room and pick out a clean outfit. Then I sat patiently as she combed out the mess that was my hair and braided it to keep it out of my eyes. "There, done." I nodded and stood up.

When we got downstairs Tom was waiting on me. I walked with him to Bass's office. "You'll be fine. It's going to be ok."

"What happens to me now?" I asked.

"I don't know, but like I said, you'll be fine."

He seemed certain but at this point I probably wouldn't have listened to anyone. I walked up the stairs slowly and listened to the creaks of the old wood. The more steps I took the more anxious I got. Monroe didn't need me anymore, which meant I was just expendable as the next person. He could kill me or he could ship me home, where I'd surely be blown up later when the air strikes moved on from the rebels. I stood right outside Bass's door trying to compose myself and finally pushed it open. "You asked to see me?" I said confidentially, as if I hadn't just been picturing my own death a hundred different ways before I'd walked in.

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Monroe said.

"Sure." I nodded. I wasn't sure what the appropriate response was to someone offering their condolences. Thanks? That sounded too optimistic. Me too? That sounded selfish, it wasn't just my loss.

"How are you?"

"Fine," I tried to say strongly but my voice faltered and just like that the entire façade I'd built up came crumbling down and I started crying. I expected him to ignore it but instead he stepped around the desk and hugged me. It was the most human thing I'd ever seen him do and it just made me cry more. I'm not sure how long I cried but when I finally stopped sobbing Monroe stepped back to look at me but he didn't remove his hands from my arms.

"You're safe, I promise you nothing is going to happen to you," he told me. He wiped the tears away from my eyes.

"Can I go home?" I asked quietly. "Back to Georgia."

"I still want to maintain the peace between the Republic and the Federation," he told me. I nodded; I hadn't really been expecting him to let me go. "I still want you to marry into the Republic."

"What?" I asked confused. "But Jason is dead."

"Marry me instead," he said. I started to say something but he continued before I got the chance. "You would be safe here. You could have whatever you want, a whole amplifier just for your own use here if you want power. You said yourself you want to help the Republic, stay here and do that. You could have a good life, even if you never love me."

I was a too surprised to say much of anything. "Can I think about it?" I asked. He nodded and released me. I started to leave but then stopped and just stood in the middle of the room. Monroe watched me as I stood silently. "Do you love me?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter," he said. I nodded, he was right. I wondered if he was too much of a monster to love anyone. Then I thought about how he had shown his human side to me twice now and rethought that, maybe he just wants everyone to think he's a monster. You can't be hurt if you don't feel anything.

I nodded. "Ok, I'll marry you."

OoOoO

The next afternoon Julia and I had several of the other wives over for tea, or more they invited themselves over for tea. They were all interested in me suddenly, the Georgian girl who was going to marry General Monroe. I sat uncomfortably as the women gossiped. I hated that Julia was expected to socialize so soon after the death of her only son, though she surprisingly didn't look that shaken up.

"You know," one of the women, Katharine Newport a lieutenant's wife, started to say, "I've always thought General Monroe was incredibly handsome. Of course I'd never say that in front of my husband of course."

I tried not to roll my eyes. "I suppose he isn't hideous," I said. Julia shot me a look that said I needed to perk up and play my part better.

"Oh he's gorgeous," another one of the wives said. She and Katharine laughed together while I shifted awkwardly.

"You're just the luckiest girl in the Monroe Republic," Katharine said.

The door opened suddenly saving me from needing to respond to the women. Tom walked into the room looking rather anxious. "Excuse me but I'm going to have to ask you all to leave," Julia told the wives.

"Please do, and quickly," I mumbled. Katharine overheard me and gave me an annoyed look. Once they were gone I was alone with the Nevilles.

"What is it, Tom?" Julia asked.

"We need to leave immediately," Tom told Julia. She nodded like she understood.

"Leave?" I asked.

"We need to get out of the Republic, we'll go to Georgia. Ciara, you have a choice," Tom said.

"Come with us," Julia said. "You can't honestly want this life."

"You two should leave during dinnertime, I'll keep Monroe busy and he won't know you've gone until tomorrow. That will give you a day's advantage."

"Ciara-" Julia started.

"You need to get ready to leave, there isn't much time."


End file.
